Possible Focusing Screen Alternative!

Ben Winter · August 12th, 2005, 09:31 PM

I had a par56 spot on, a reflector screen as balance, and 2 lekos cross-lighting the pebble.

Ok, just kidding. I just happen to have really nice halogen bulbs in a fixture overtop my kitchen counter.

In terms of real-world, I plan on shooting a huge bunch of footage tomorrow outside, provided I get some kind of usable outdoorsy light (i.e. non-london weather). :)

That's hopefully getting posted tomorrow. I'm glad you like the results!

Best of luck with whatever you try.

Graham Bernard · August 13th, 2005, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Winter

I'm glad you like the results!

Like?!?!? I love 'em! And noooo moving parts too!

can't wait for tomorrow ..

Actually the weather has ben great for the past week ..

TIA,

Grazie

Leo Mandy · August 13th, 2005, 08:12 AM

It does look fantastic. How is it for fast pans? I have heard also that the asian macro (as well as my Tiffen) have terrible colour abberation - have your shot a street light or a lamp light to see if you are getting colour separation?

Also, you mentioned a PCX before, but in the picture of the adapter, you didn't label it - have you gotten rid of it?

Ben Winter · August 13th, 2005, 10:45 AM

Using someone else's advice, I was able to get the macros down to +7. In terms of color abberation, I'm getting nothing special but interesting lens flares when I shoot bright light ;).

Fast pans are fine. You don't notice the grain any more than you do normally.

The PCX still hasn't come, I never used it, and with this better Canon 1.4 lens I'm getting more usable space on the focusing screen than I ever dreamed of--basically the entire thing except the extreme corners (which are dirty anyway). The only complaint I have is that I mounted it a bit off somehow, so the screen isn't dead center--depending on the way it's screwed on, it's either a bit too high or a bit too low, which means I have to zoom in an unnecessary amount to get rid of the blank spot. It irks me, but nothing more. lol. I can still focus on it. Plus that means even less grain if you just leave it there and cover it up by making it widescreen in post (seems like most people do that anyway).

I'm willing to make these and sell 'em for $230 with Canon 50mm f1.8 SLR Lens if anyone's interested and doesn't feel like making them themselves. Or $200 without the lens. You could get a vibrating GG adapter from www.adapterplace.com for $300 (without SLR lens), but personally for some reason I don't like his results as much. Maybe it's the gratification of making it yourself ;).

Ben Winter · August 14th, 2005, 12:57 AM

I was able to get on set of a local TV show, "Nigel's Garden." Taking my camera and gingerly placing it near the talent, I was able to get this:

http://www.astronautradiomusic.com/nigelsgarden.mov

They even let me convince them into actually using the camera to shoot a few parts. Enjoy!

Bill Porter · August 14th, 2005, 01:11 AM

Nice clip, love all that vegetation.

I know you're in the UK but... was that guy's accent for real? I felt like the clip was three seconds away from a request for Grey Poupon. ;-)

Graham Bernard · August 14th, 2005, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Porter

I felt like the clip was three seconds away from a request for Grey Poupon. ;-)

Grey Poupon? - Who he?

Anyways Ben! Hilarious! All that "received" English . .too funny . .

Ben? I guess you were on auto exposure - yeah?

Graham Bernard · August 14th, 2005, 02:06 AM

Ben? Your film was funny, but have you seen the results of the rotating GG?

Here is the links:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...=gg#post345710

and this is down-loadable MPG short:

http://www.nuocsong.com/nhatho/adapter/test.mpg

I'd like to see a head-to-head with yours worked on a tripod and demonstrating the DoF as per our colleagues? Perhaps if you went with manual expo it would assist to get a better idea.

Up to you, of course!

Regards

Grazie

Ben Winter · August 14th, 2005, 02:20 AM

I'll definately get right on that. At lower apertures the grain can be easily seen, btw. I'll show that too.

There's definately a huge advantage with moving ground glass, I must say.

Haha, yah I was on auto exposure. I'll turn that to manual next time.

"I know you're in the UK but..."

gotcha! We're in Maryland, in the states. That was just a friend of mine foolin around. He was born in Europe and loves to research everything there is to know about other countries, he has a thing for d*ckin around if you know what I mean.

Bill Porter · August 14th, 2005, 09:39 AM

Ahhhh you were talking about Graham's weather, when you said "provided I get some kind of usable outdoorsy light (i.e. non-london weather)". I thought you meant your own. Well, welcome to the United States! We have IKEA.

Graham, Grey Poupon is the distant cousin of Colonel Mustard from the game CLUE (CLUEDO in Euroland). Grey is froufy and lacks the hard-nosed appeal of the Colonel. He's under suspicion for an incident involving the knife, the wrench (spanner, to you), and the revolver, in the conservatory.

Edit: btw, that is "oscilating" or at least "vibrating" GG in that link you posted. Not rotating. Just FYI.

Riley Stearns · August 18th, 2005, 12:08 AM

I recieved my screen in the mail today, so now I've got to figure out how to fit it in a 55mm filter. Home Depot here I come.

Leo Mandy · August 18th, 2005, 09:14 AM

Hey Riley, where did you buy the screen from? Keep me posted on project and how you manage to get the screen mounted.

Riley Stearns · August 18th, 2005, 10:38 AM

I certainly will, and I bought mine from B&H.

Ben Winter · August 18th, 2005, 11:39 AM

You could glue it to a UV filter. I'm investigating finding on of those rotatable mounts because it's a bit of a hassle to turn the screen the right way so it lines up in the frame. Of course, if you always plan on using the same setup (macro lenses don't change, etc.) setting it up once should be enough.

Riley Stearns · August 18th, 2005, 04:18 PM

My solution today was to buy a sheet of thick paper (project paper) which is the same thickness of a uv filter. I cut out a 55mm filter sized circle and then cut out a rectangle in the middle of that which holds the focus screen without glue. Then I got an empty filter ring and set the circle inside it. Works good for now until I can get a permanant plastic mount. I also found that I need a stronger macro. The grain on the screen is more than I got from the home-made gg, but it doesn't bother me like it does other people. Once I find a +10 macro, I'll post footage from my adapter.

August 12th, 2005, 09:31 PM	#31
Ben Winter Trustee Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 1,675 Images: 1	I had a par56 spot on, a reflector screen as balance, and 2 lekos cross-lighting the pebble. Ok, just kidding. I just happen to have really nice halogen bulbs in a fixture overtop my kitchen counter. In terms of real-world, I plan on shooting a huge bunch of footage tomorrow outside, provided I get some kind of usable outdoorsy light (i.e. non-london weather). :) That's hopefully getting posted tomorrow. I'm glad you like the results! Best of luck with whatever you try. Last edited by Ben Winter; August 13th, 2005 at 01:02 PM.

August 13th, 2005, 10:45 AM	#34
Ben Winter Trustee Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 1,675 Images: 1	Using someone else's advice, I was able to get the macros down to +7. In terms of color abberation, I'm getting nothing special but interesting lens flares when I shoot bright light ;). Fast pans are fine. You don't notice the grain any more than you do normally. The PCX still hasn't come, I never used it, and with this better Canon 1.4 lens I'm getting more usable space on the focusing screen than I ever dreamed of--basically the entire thing except the extreme corners (which are dirty anyway). The only complaint I have is that I mounted it a bit off somehow, so the screen isn't dead center--depending on the way it's screwed on, it's either a bit too high or a bit too low, which means I have to zoom in an unnecessary amount to get rid of the blank spot. It irks me, but nothing more. lol. I can still focus on it. Plus that means even less grain if you just leave it there and cover it up by making it widescreen in post (seems like most people do that anyway). I'm willing to make these and sell 'em for $230 with Canon 50mm f1.8 SLR Lens if anyone's interested and doesn't feel like making them themselves. Or $200 without the lens. You could get a vibrating GG adapter from www.adapterplace.com for $300 (without SLR lens), but personally for some reason I don't like his results as much. Maybe it's the gratification of making it yourself ;). Last edited by Ben Winter; August 13th, 2005 at 01:03 PM.

August 14th, 2005, 09:39 AM	#40
Bill Porter Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ventura, California, USA Posts: 751	Ahhhh you were talking about Graham's weather, when you said "provided I get some kind of usable outdoorsy light (i.e. non-london weather)". I thought you meant your own. Well, welcome to the United States! We have IKEA. Graham, Grey Poupon is the distant cousin of Colonel Mustard from the game CLUE (CLUEDO in Euroland). Grey is froufy and lacks the hard-nosed appeal of the Colonel. He's under suspicion for an incident involving the knife, the wrench (spanner, to you), and the revolver, in the conservatory. Edit: btw, that is "oscilating" or at least "vibrating" GG in that link you posted. Not rotating. Just FYI. Last edited by Bill Porter; August 14th, 2005 at 03:47 PM.

August 18th, 2005, 12:08 AM	#41
Riley Stearns Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 94	I recieved my screen in the mail today, so now I've got to figure out how to fit it in a 55mm filter. Home Depot here I come. __________________ i can't yet see Productions

August 18th, 2005, 10:38 AM	#43
Riley Stearns Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 94	I certainly will, and I bought mine from B&H. __________________ i can't yet see Productions

August 13th, 2005, 08:12 AM	#33
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	It does look fantastic. How is it for fast pans? I have heard also that the asian macro (as well as my Tiffen) have terrible colour abberation - have your shot a street light or a lamp light to see if you are getting colour separation? Also, you mentioned a PCX before, but in the picture of the adapter, you didn't label it - have you gotten rid of it?

August 14th, 2005, 12:57 AM	#35
Ben Winter Trustee Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 1,675 Images: 1	I was able to get on set of a local TV show, "Nigel's Garden." Taking my camera and gingerly placing it near the talent, I was able to get this: http://www.astronautradiomusic.com/nigelsgarden.mov They even let me convince them into actually using the camera to shoot a few parts. Enjoy!

August 14th, 2005, 01:11 AM	#36
Bill Porter Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ventura, California, USA Posts: 751	Nice clip, love all that vegetation. I know you're in the UK but... was that guy's accent for real? I felt like the clip was three seconds away from a request for Grey Poupon. ;-)

August 14th, 2005, 02:06 AM	#38
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Ben? Your film was funny, but have you seen the results of the rotating GG? Here is the links: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...=gg#post345710 and this is down-loadable MPG short: http://www.nuocsong.com/nhatho/adapter/test.mpg I'd like to see a head-to-head with yours worked on a tripod and demonstrating the DoF as per our colleagues? Perhaps if you went with manual expo it would assist to get a better idea. Up to you, of course! Regards Grazie

August 14th, 2005, 02:20 AM	#39
Ben Winter Trustee Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 1,675 Images: 1	I'll definately get right on that. At lower apertures the grain can be easily seen, btw. I'll show that too. There's definately a huge advantage with moving ground glass, I must say. Haha, yah I was on auto exposure. I'll turn that to manual next time. "I know you're in the UK but..." gotcha! We're in Maryland, in the states. That was just a friend of mine foolin around. He was born in Europe and loves to research everything there is to know about other countries, he has a thing for d*ckin around if you know what I mean.

August 18th, 2005, 09:14 AM	#42
Leo Mandy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 749	Hey Riley, where did you buy the screen from? Keep me posted on project and how you manage to get the screen mounted.

August 18th, 2005, 11:39 AM	#44
Ben Winter Trustee Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 1,675 Images: 1	You could glue it to a UV filter. I'm investigating finding on of those rotatable mounts because it's a bit of a hassle to turn the screen the right way so it lines up in the frame. Of course, if you always plan on using the same setup (macro lenses don't change, etc.) setting it up once should be enough.

August 18th, 2005, 04:18 PM	#45
Riley Stearns Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 94	My solution today was to buy a sheet of thick paper (project paper) which is the same thickness of a uv filter. I cut out a 55mm filter sized circle and then cut out a rectangle in the middle of that which holds the focus screen without glue. Then I got an empty filter ring and set the circle inside it. Works good for now until I can get a permanant plastic mount. I also found that I need a stronger macro. The grain on the screen is more than I got from the home-made gg, but it doesn't bother me like it does other people. Once I find a +10 macro, I'll post footage from my adapter. __________________ i can't yet see Productions